New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-06-03
CAPTAIN WILLIAMS'S PERIL.
FRIGHTENED BY AN INTERNAL MACHINE.
SUSPICIOUS THAT DANGER WAS ONLY IMAGINARY

THE CAN IN PAIL OF WATER
Captain Alexander s. Williams of the Nineteenth
Precinct, has long had the reputation of being abb
sOutely without fear and constituted so that he
could look upon danger with little heart quiver-
ing as he would upon ham sandwich but yester-
day afternoon as the shades of night were falling
little tin can caused the big captains cheek to
turn pale.
About half-past one of the wagons of the Met
ropolitan Express Company, whose Office is at Mer.
Ger and Bleecker SITS, drove up to the Thrteth
Street Station and young mar entered and asked
for Captain Williams. The Captain was behind the
desk and after making himself known. the young
man carried in small package wrapped in brown
paper and laid it on the desk. The Captain signed
receipt and picked up the bundle and read
aloud:
The Reverent. Captain Williams, 10 Precinct Police,
80 ST., bet q Il ave-
The words were in bold hand and written
partly with red and black pencil. After studying
the writing the Captain said;
What the deuce this thing. anyhowi
He tore off the wrapper of brown paper careIessly
and found a tin can about six inches long and five
inches in diameter. There were no marks on the
can. The Captain struck it and heard dnll me-
tallic sound within. Something more than curos-
ity was aroused and the Captain hesltated before
TtIuONlUB tuo CoNCIs IiudiiJ no iolhV'ON ~ S"iS-
fully and smiled as he saw only lot of excelsior
such as is used in stuiing cushions He
tore this off and his heart gave jump as his eye
fell on short coil of copper wire attached to a
machine. The Captain dropped the box in hurry,
as it gave out a buzzing sound. and Sergeant
Westervelt, who was looking the Captains
shoulder had no more than said the words Infer
nal machine" when the little tin box was alone in
ali its glory and intently watched through cracks
in the doors from other presumably safe places by
the Captain and his men.
When the excitement was at the highest and
nobody knew what was coming next, In walked
Detective Price. rubbing his square jaw after Q
close shave. Price saw that something unusual
was in the air, and asked Captain Williams what 1t
was all about When he found out, he was not any
more anxious than any one else to investigate tbs
tin box The suspense was dreadful. and there was
no telling how soon the station and all its contents
would be sailing skyw ard. The machine did noe
90 off and after awhile every body gotsome courage
and went up to the little box that stood nnocenty
on end on the deck.
Detective Price remarked. in not too bold tone.
that he would tackle the box IL any one would 60
with him Up stepped little DoorInan Dempsey
with his jaw set hard. He said that he would
stuck close to Price and keep him company through
the clouds If 1t was necessary. Everybody In the
building thought that two men were all that was
necessary to attend to the work and they
went about their business, which seemed in.a
Thirtieth-st and stand in listening attitude with
one ear directed toward the station: Price picked
up the cautiously ana told the dOOrman 10 get
q pail of water Price tlptoed his way to the yerd
in the rear Of the building and looked with envy
at couple of drunkards who were calmly
sleeping on board. When the water came
Price carefully put the tin can into It, In a
second there was dull sound family heard and
the water boiled and sssed and ran over the pail;
1t was milk white and 1t didn't take Price and
Dempsey long to cover a short distance behind a
stone wall
When the water quoted down Price returned to
the pail followed By Dempsey and watched II for
fully ten minutes. Then Price with returning bold
find it hot, but it was not. When everything
was saturated the can was taken OUT
of the water and the contents removed. The hrst
| thing was some excelsior, and then round ma
chIne about fS5 inches, the body OF which Was OF
heavy IRON wire net work. At the two ends OF
the net work TWO brass heads hled
with about two dozen small holes. The two heads
were fastened with long screw running through
the inside of the box and held IN position with .
thumbscrew The coil of copper wire was attached
to the thumbscrew. The cover was removed with
great caution and the white substance that was
seen through the network was found To be cotton.
There was nothing else IN the machine, and this IN
formation brought back all the courage that had
OoZed ont of the Nineteenth Precinct.
Price tried to burn the cotton, out it only made
a:tne powder. Some of IL was taken to The Arsenal
by officer Brennan, who brought back word that iG
was ntro-cottou Price took some OF II to Dr. Ed
SON. at his home in Nnth-st., for examination. III.
Edison was not home last evening, but he told his
wife that the cotton was not explosive. and some
one had played joke on Captain Williams
Captain Williams does not look on the matter as
a Joke and will find out where 1t came from. inc
box was left at the express office No: ID Churcn-st
learned last evening by Detective Price Tne only
question is TO the nature OF the cotton. ms VIII
be fully determined to-day, and IT may be that
there was an attempt to kill Captain Williams.